HakoneStory N° 61
Hakone & Mt. Fuji — Onsen Slow Days
Three days at the foot of Fuji — a Romance Car ride out of Tokyo to a Hakone ryokan with a private cedar onsen, the Lake Ashi pirate boat past the floating red torii, and a sunrise at Lake Kawaguchi where Fuji shows up reflected and behaves itself.
The itinerary.
3 days · 17 stops
Friday
Day One
Shinjuku Odakyu Romance Car train direct to Hakone-Yumoto (90 min, reserved seat) — settle into a Gora ryokan with a private cedar-wood rotenburo (open-air onsen), kaiseki dinner served in your tatami room.
●
Shinjuku → Hakone-Yumoto Romance Car
Odakyu "Romance Car" limited express direct from Shinjuku to Hakone-Yumoto — 85 min, reserved seat + base fare. Panoramic-window models (GSE 70000, VSE 50000) sell out — book 1 month out at odakyu.jp. Alternative: Tōkaidō Shinkansen to Odawara (35 min), then Hakone Tozan train to Yumoto. Buy the Hakone Free Pass for unlimited Hakone trains/buses/ropeway + 50% off Romance Car.
●
Hakone Tozan Railway → Gora
Mountain switchback railway from Hakone-Yumoto up to Gora — 40 min, three reversals, climbs 500 m through forest. Included in Hakone Free Pass. The cable car continues up another 1.2 km to Sōunzan if you want the higher peaks.
●
Gora Hanaougi
Modern Gora ryokan, 36 rooms, each with its own private wood-decked open-air onsen on the balcony (the rotenburo). Two on-site shared bathhouses with milky volcanic water (white iron-rich Hakone-style). Kaiseki dinner in your room — 9 seasonal courses, served by a yukata-clad nakai (room attendant) over 2 hours. hanaougi.jp
●
First onsen of the trip
Before dinner, slip into the in-room rotenburo as the light fades — the milky Hakone water is naturally 42°C, cedar-wood frame, often nothing visible but mountain shadow. Etiquette: shower thoroughly first (the small wood stool + bucket), no swimsuit, no phone, take a small folded towel but never let it touch the water.
●
Kaiseki dinner
Hanaougi's 9-course set: sakizuke (amuse), hassun (seasonal appetiser tray, sometimes shaped like a Hakone maple leaf), tsukuri (sashimi), takiawase (simmered vegetables), grilled fish, shabu-shabu of Wagyu raised in Yamanashi, rice + miso, fruit, wagashi. Sake pairing optional. Served in your room at the low table; allow 2 hours.
🏨
Hotel
Gora Hanaougi hanaougi.jp
→
Getting around
- Tokyo Shinjuku → Hakone-Yumoto: 85 min Romance Car (+ base fare).
- Hakone-Yumoto → Gora: 40 min Hakone Tozan train (covered by Free Pass).
Saturday
Day Two
Hakone's classic loop — the Tozan railway + cable car + ropeway over the Owakudani volcanic crater (sulphur eggs, sometimes-visible Fuji), the pirate boat across Lake Ashi to the floating red torii at Hakone Shrine, the Open Air Museum with its Picasso pavilion and Henry Moore sculptures in the trees.
●
Hakone Open Air Museum
1969, the first open-air sculpture museum in Japan — Henry Moore, Brâncuși, Calder, Niki de Saint Phalle scattered over 7 acres of landscaped hill. Picasso pavilion holds 300 of his pieces (ceramics + drawings, not paintings). The Symphonic Sculpture (stained-glass tower you climb) is the kids-favourite. 2-hour visit. hakone-oam.or.jp
●
Sōunzan Ropeway → Owakudani
Cable car from Gora up to Sōunzan, then 30-min ropeway over the Owakudani volcanic crater (active sulphur vents black eggs boiled in the sulphur springs — legend says one egg = 7 extra years of life). On a clear day Mt Fuji rises over the ropeway's southwest cabin window. Free with Hakone Pass.
●
Lake Ashi pirate ship + Hakone Shrine torii
Ropeway terminates at Tōgendai — board the kitschy Lake Ashi "pirate boat" (the Royal II, a replica of an 18th-century French warship). 30-min sailing south to Moto-Hakone, passing the floating red Hakone Shrine torii (Heiwa no Torii) at the lake edge. Free with Pass. The torii queue is brutal in autumn — go early.
●
Hakone Shrine walk
1,200-year-old shrine in deep cedar forest on Lake Ashi's south shore — climb the 90 stone steps from the lake torii up to the main shrine (omikuji fortune slips, ema wooden prayer plaques, an enormous 800-year-old cryptomeria). Free.
●
Itoh Dining — beef teppanyaki dinner
Slope-side teppanyaki in Gora — high-grade Tochigi Wagyu cooked on a single hot plate in front of you (no theatre, just precision). 8-course set, with sake pairing available. Book 2 weeks out. itoh-dining.co.jp
●
Hanaougi rotenburo — late night
Return to the room, second onsen of the day — the colder the night air, the better the contrast with the 42°C water. Some travellers do an onsen at 22:00 and again at 06:00.
🏨
Hotel
Gora Hanaougi hanaougi.jp
→
Getting around
- Gora ↔ Open Air Museum: 2 min by Hakone Tozan railway (Chōkoku-no-Mori station).
- Gora → Sōunzan: 10 min cable car. Sōunzan → Tōgendai: 30 min ropeway over Owakudani.
- Tōgendai → Moto-Hakone: 30 min pirate boat. All covered by Hakone Free Pass.
Sunday
Day Three
Drive (or train + bus) the 90 minutes around the back of Mt Fuji to Lake Kawaguchi for the postcard angle, climb the 398 steps to Chureito Pagoda for the canonical Fuji-with-foreground photo, then Tokyo-bound late afternoon.
●
Hakone → Lake Kawaguchi
Direct route is private car or taxi (1h30). Public: Hakone-Yumoto → Odawara (15 min) → JR Tōkaidō Shinkansen → Mishima → Fujikyuko bus to Fujikawaguchiko (~3h total). Most travellers hire a private driver for the day from Gora (with stops at Chureito + Oshino + Lake).
●
Chureito Pagoda (Arakurayama Sengen Park)
Five-storey pagoda on the hill above Fujiyoshida — climb the 398 stone steps from the park's main shrine. The canonical Fuji-with-pagoda angle is from the upper viewing platform (cherry blossoms first week of April, autumn maple second week of November). Free entry, with an access fee Mar–Nov. Get there before 09:00 — by midday the platform queue is 45 min.
●
Lake Kawaguchi north shore
Fuji shows up best from the north shore — the still water reflects the mountain (sakasa-Fuji) on calm mornings. Park at Lake Kawaguchi Ohashi bridge, walk west on the lakeside path 10 min to the empty viewpoints. Free.
●
Oshino Hakkai water village
Small village built around 8 spring-fed ponds (Fuji snowmelt percolates underground, surfaces here as crystal pools). Thatched-roof houses, old-style water mills, kakigori (shaved ice with mountain berry syrup) sold from a wooden stall. Combined pond ticket; 1-hour visit.
●
Hoto Fudo — lunch
Concrete-cloud-shaped restaurant designed by Takeshi Hosaka, just outside Lake Kawaguchi. Hoto (Yamanashi's miso-based noodle hotpot with kabocha squash + mountain vegetables, the local winter staple) is the only dish on the menu. houtoufudou.com
●
Lake Kawaguchi → Tokyo
Direct express bus Fujikawaguchiko → Shinjuku Bus Terminal — 2h05, hourly. Book on highway-buses.jp. Alternative: train Kawaguchiko → Otsuki (Fujikyu) → Tokyo (JR Chuo line), 3 hours.
🏨
Hotel
—
→
Getting around
- Hakone → Lake Kawaguchi: 90 min by private car is easiest; public transit takes 3 hours.
- Lake Kawaguchi → Tokyo Shinjuku: 2h05 by Keio express bus (hourly).
Location.
Frequently asked
How many days do you need for Hakone & Mt. Fuji — Onsen Slow Days?
3 days. The itinerary runs from Friday to Sunday and covers 17 curated stops across 3 days.
How much does Hakone & Mt. Fuji — Onsen Slow Days cost?
Luxury — signature hotels and reserved access.
Where do you stay during Hakone & Mt. Fuji — Onsen Slow Days?
Gora Hanaougi is the recommended base for the trip; the full hotel list per day is in the itinerary section.
What's included in the Hakone & Mt. Fuji — Onsen Slow Days itinerary?
Day-by-day stops at 17 restaurants, museums, viewpoints and landmarks; transportation hints between each leg; and a hotel base in Hakone.
Going on this trip?
Tag us on Instagram —
Keep reading →
